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Wow. A show last night was more of a performance art piece than a concert. And sometimes it’s hard to tell where the reality ends and the performance begins. So now, I’ve seen Jason 3 times in the last 6 weeks, and some how I think that this is the last time that I will see him for a while.

The first time, it was an evening of drinking songs. The second time it was some drinking songs, some sad songs, and a little bit of performance. This time it started with singing, a couple of drinking songs (in a mostly non-drinking audience) and ended with a bunch of people following the tomato goddess through the Seattle night rain to the Sylvan Theatre on the UW campus. Where the real show began.

After asking if we wanted to sacrifice the tomato goddess, Jason mentioned that he spent a lot of time on it, and wanted to sacrifice something that he had spent more time on. At which point, the goddess attendents helped him out of his hat and trenchcoat, then brought out razors and scissors.

Standing in the rain, with my lovers and my friends
Goodbye forever, once again.

So as Jason sang in increasingly halting tones, the attendants cut his hair, shaved his beard, then helped him out of the rest of his clothes. The crowd sang along in tones almost appropriate for a church.

When the glass is full, drink up, drink up,
This may be the last time we see this cup
If God wanted us sober, he’d knock the glass over
So while it is full, we drink up

His clothes on a pole, lit on fire. Jason naked and cold, in the rain. The crowd singing a drinking song, while wine and bread were passed around. Jason then was put in a coffin and carried out of the theater to a waiting van.

I’m not really sure what it means. My best guess is that this is a ceremonial break with the image of Jason Webley as a performer. That it’s going to be a good long time untill I see this sort of concert again. But then, I’m not sure that I can tell the difference between performance art and reality.